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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24109189">Theory and Philosophy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandom_Trash_15/pseuds/Fandom_Trash_15'>Fandom_Trash_15</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>RoyEd Month 2020 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood &amp; Manga</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal, royed month</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 00:54:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,258</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24109189</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandom_Trash_15/pseuds/Fandom_Trash_15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Roy and Ed have a date night in. It ends better than expected.</p><p>combining the day 7 and day 10 prompts for RoyEd month.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Edward Elric/Roy Mustang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>RoyEd Month 2020 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726204</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>66</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>RoyEd month</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Theory and Philosophy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I only tagged this as underage because Roy mentions how he caught feelings while Ed was 15.</p><p>This also a sequel to my story "Love in the Wintertime". I recommend reading it, but it's not necessary.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Roy and Edward are having a lovely date night in, as they usually do every few weeks. Conversation has moved from the usual complaints about Edward’s dumb students and Roy’s boring day of paper work to theoretical and outlandish ideas. The couple are sitting in the living room with the lamps turned down and a fire in the fireplace to fend off the winter chill creeping into the house, sharing a bottle of wine. Edward is practically glowing in the fire light, and Roy can’t help but feel a sense of </span>
  <span>déjà vu and nostalgia, remembering the night he accidentally confessed. Roy can hardly believe that it’s been two years already.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you smiling about?” Ed asks after a sip, arching an eyebrow. Roy can’t help but let his smile grow a bit bigger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing much. Just glad to be here with you,” he says. Ed wrinkles his nose in that cute way when he’s pretending to be disgusted by Roy’s fluff. Roy just leans closer on the couch and plants a kiss on Ed’s cheek. Edward blushes and leans away with a pout, but decides to change the subject.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sooo...if it were possible to go back in time and change one thing, what would you chose?” he asks. Roy hums as he thinks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just one thing? But there are so many to choose from...does it have to be a personal moment or can it be any historical moment?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about one of each?” Ed decides after a moment of deliberation. Roy nods and thinks a little harder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For my historical event, I think I would try to prevent Ishval from happening, for a few reasons,” Roy starts. Ed nods and leans on Roy, hoping to convey comfort. Roy wraps an arm around Ed’s waist and continues. “The most obvious and important one is to hopefully prevent the crest from being formed, and the slim possibility of preventing the Promised day. The secondary and more personal reason for that is to prevent a lot of good, innocent people from dying.” Roy takes a deep drag from his glass and Ed takes the hand that is still resting on his waist into his and rubs his thumb in circles on the back, hoping to help sooth his boyfriend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I would try to change Xerxes’ destruction. Just completely take out the Dwarf in the Flask before he even gets a proper foothold,” Edward says into the silence after a few awkward minutes. Roy hums in thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A better plot, but then how do you think that would affect Amestris’s formation?” Ed frowns, but concedes the point. It would be unlikely that the warring territories would form Amestris as it is today, if it formed at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough. What about your personal moment? What would you change?” he counters softly. There were plenty of things that Ed would want to go back and keep himself from doing, but most important would be his and Al’s attempt at human transmutation. Roy’s quiet for a while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a tie between two completely different things,” he finally confesses. Ed hums, but stays quiet so Roy can answer in his own time. “The first one would be saving Maes. That is self explanatory, I believe,” he says softly. Ed winces to himself and clutches Roy’s hand a little tighter. Roy squeezes back. “The other would be how I confessed to you.” Ed frowns and sits up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was wrong with how you confessed?” he demands. Roy’s smile is a bit self-depreciating, but he answers with full honesty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was a complete accident, and I chickened out from the second you confronted me about it. If I were to get the chance to change it, I would start with both of us being entirely sober. We would still be in the privacy of one of our homes, either before or after one of our weekly suppers. And I would speak clearly, with direct eye contact, tell you that I had been in love with you since you were fifteen. I’d still feel like a dirty old man the entire time, but this is by and large a much better way for me to have confessed,” Roy finishes his monologue, still looking at Edward. Ed’s frown lightens up, but he’s still unimpressed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, I prefer it the way it happened. It helped that it was an accident on your part, I think. Made it clear that you were honest. I wouldn’t change the next morning of cornering you about it, though I might hope to skip the midnight call to Hawkeye,” Ed says. Roy smiles and leans in to kiss Edward again. Ed allows it. They kiss for a while, almost forgetting about the glasses still in their hands, but they stop eventually. They set their glasses on the coffee table and they cuddle on the couch for a while after, occasionally stealing a kiss or two. Roy glances at the clock on the mantle and sees that it’s nearly eleven o’clock. He feels his pocket metaphorically burning and decides that he’s put it off for long enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have one more question for tonight,” he opens, holding Edward close. Ed just keeps leaning on him with his eyes closed, feeling comfortable and almost ready to fall asleep. Roy wets his lips and just lets it out. “If I were to offer you my life, would you take it? Or spend the rest of it with me?” Ed frowns a little as the question processes, and he notices Roy’s heartbeat speed up. Then he opens his eyes as he pulls away, sitting up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The fuck kind of question is that? Are you tryin’ to propose or some shit?” he demands, face pink and pulse pounding. Roy swallows and sits up straighter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if I am?” He returns as calmly as he can, even though he’s trembling slightly. Ed’s face turns red, and he blinks a few times, not really sure he’s not dreaming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re gonna haffta show me a ring if it’s a proposal. And if this is still just theoretical, you haffta know that I wouldn’t ever kill ya,” Ed finally answers. Roy lets out a breath of relief and puts his hand in his pocket. Ed’s mouth dries immediately as the little black box comes into view. Roy smiles and opens the box.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do hope you find this satisfactory,” he says while Ed examines the newly revealed ring. It’s a silver band with the main setting a decent sized gold colored stone, surrounded by a smattering of small rubies. Ed can’t seem to make up his mind about what to say, and Roy is mildly amused but still nervous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck,” Ed finally says, softly and with feeling. Roy laughs, because it’s just such an Ed thing to say. Ed pouts but offers his shaking left hand, and Roy gladly takes the ring and places it on the correct finger. They admire the ring on the finger together before Ed seems to finally connect that he’s engaged to his bastard of a boyfriend and attacks Roy’s mouth with his own. Roy lets out a strangled noise, but accepts his actions. They make out on the couch for a bit longer before moving up to their bed to celebrate. Suffice it to say, they were both late to work the next day, but people were more excited at the news of their engagement than they were upset that they were late. Though Riza still didn’t go easy with the paperwork.</span>
</p>
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